Statement from Concerned Health Professionals of New York Regarding the Investigation on Air Pollution and Fracking by InsideClimate News/The Center for Public Integrity/The Weather Channel

In response to the release of the eight-month investigation ‘Fracking the Eagle Ford Shale’ by InsideClimate News, The Center for Public Integrity and The Weather Channel that found very dangerous air pollution and widespread health impacts, Concerned Health Professionals of New York released the following statement from Sandra Steingraber, PhD and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Ithaca College, and Kathy Nolan, MD, MSL.
“The extensive investigation into air pollution from drilling and fracking operations in the Eagle Ford Shale of southern Texas has documented–in otherwise rural communities–alarming levels of highly toxic air pollutants.  These include benzene, a proven cause of leukemia, and poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas, which, at acute levels, can be lethal and, at chronic levels, is linked to both brain damage and risk of miscarriage in pregnant women.
“These results are consistent with existing and emerging research from Colorado, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.  All together, these studies create a startling picture of the harms that fracking can bring to human communities.  As health professionals, we possess not only a duty to inquire but an obligation to take action to prevent further harm.”